Tag: Michael Fasusi

Texas insider flips pick for 5-star offensive tackle from Longhorns to Oklahoma

Texas Longhorns writer flips prediction from UT to the Oklahoma Sooners for five-star offensive tackle.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of a big-time recruiting battle with their longtime foes, the Texas Longhorns. Five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] is one of the most coveted players in the 2025 recruiting class, and it appears the Sooners have a leg up on the Horns.

On Wednesday, Brandon Drumm of OUInsider and Rivals released a futurecast projecting the Sooners to be the landing spot for Fasusi. That was the first prediction on Fasusi since April. At that time, Texas had seized momentum in the recruitment, but a strong summer has allowed Oklahoma to push ahead.

Geoffrey Ketchum, who covers the Texas Longhorns for Rivals, flipped his prediction from the Longhorns to the Oklahoma Sooners.

It’s an encouraging sign: Fasusi’s planned commitment date is Aug. 21. The Sooners have a nice group of offensive linemen committed to the class, but adding Fasusi would be monumental to the future of Oklahoma’s offensive line and a huge feather in the cap of Sooners offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.

Update

Since the original publication, Eric Nahlen, who covers the Texas Longhorns for On3 has flipped his prediction from Texas to Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma Sooners predicted to land 2025 5-star offensive tackle

The Sooners are picking up momentum in the recruitment of 2025 offensive tackle Michael Fasusi.

If there’s been a big fish in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag], it’s offensive tackle [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag]. As was the case for [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] in the 2024 cycle, all eyes have been on Fasusi the last couple of years.

He has been a priority target for OU and offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]. As we near Fasusi’s planned commitment date on Aug. 21, the process appears trending in a positive direction for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Late Wednesday night, Brandon Drumm of OUInsider and Rivals dropped a futurecast predicting Fasusi to land with the Oklahoma Sooners. It’s the first prediction issued by one of the major recruiting sites since April for Fasusi.

Back in March and April, it appeared the Texas Longhorns held a substantial lead in Fasusi’s recruitment. Analysts from Rivals and 247Sports placed predictions favoring Oklahoma’s Red River Rivals. But with his commitment date less than a week away, the start of the high school football season upon us and just a few months away from the early signing period, the Sooners have grabbed some momentum.

According to ESPN, he’s one of the 32 best players in the 2025 class overall, ranking as high as No. 9. 247Sports has Fasusi as the No. 27 player in the cycle and the No. 5 offensive tackle. Rivals ranks the Lewisville native as the No. 11 player in 2025 and the No. 2 offensive tackle.

It’s a key recruitment to continue to follow for Bedenbaugh and the Sooners. He’s a dynamic player who has the potential to compete for a starting role early in his collegiate career. At 6 feet, 5 inches and 295 pounds and a strong athletic profile, Fasusi has a chance to be great at the next level.

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Can Florida make a late push for this 5-star OT?

With Joe Hamilton back in the fold, could Florida make a late push for one of the nation’s top offensive tackle recruits?

Florida Director of Scouting and Recruiting Relations [autotag]Joe Hamilton[/autotag] returned to the program last week after a stint at Texas A&M, and the Gators are seeing an immediate impact on the recruiting trail.

Five-star Lewisville, Texas offensive tackle [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] made a surprise trip to Florida over the weekend for the team’s Grill in the ‘Ville event, according to Swamp247, and Hamilton might have the Orange and Blue back in the race.

“It was fun being back there man,” Fasusi said to247Sports. “The same people. Seeing Decoster, seeing Sale and saying what’s up. … Getting these relationships. Me, coach Sale, and coach Decoster, we been building a relationship. It’s been getting better ever since.”

Fasusi left Florida out his top five in favor of Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M. That list came out in July when he set a commitment date of August 21.

For now, it appears that Fasusi will stay true to the timeline he set, but he’ll be watching the Gators during the season with an open mind. Florida dropped off its communication with him when Hamilton went to A&M, but that’s changed with his return.

“They’re (Florida) still going to be up there,” he said. “I’m still going to end up committing of course. I think it’s going to have to come down to the season. We’re going to see what they’re looking like.”Recruiting Summary

Fasusi is a five-star recruit, according to three of the four major recruiting services (247Sports, ESPN and Rivals). On3’s standalone rankings list him as a four-star talent ranked just outside of the top 30.

The 247Sports composite and On3 industry rankings both grant him five-star status and rank him No. 12 overall in the class of 2025. He is also ranked the third-best offensive tackle and fifth-best Texas-based recruit in the class.

All three crystal balls submitted to 247Sports for Fasusi are in favor of the Texas Longhorns and have been in place since the spring. The Longhorns also lead the On3 recruiting prediction machine with 63.2% odds to land Fasusi. Texas A&M (28.5%) is the other horse in this race, followed by Oklahoma (3.4%) and Missouri (1.3%).

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Trio of Oklahoma Sooners recruiting targets among ESPN’s top 25 prospects

The Oklahoma Sooners are in pursuit of three of the best prospects in the nation regardless of recruiting class.

The Oklahoma Sooners [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] is nearly complete. They have 22 players committed to the class but are working to earn commitments from three more targets this cycle.

Five-star offensive tackles [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], five-star safety [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag], and four-star linebacker [autotag]Christian Jones[/autotag] are the top remaining targets. Fasusi and Williams are considered two of the top prospects in the country regardless of recruiting class.

ESPN’s Billy Tucker ranked the top 25 (ESPN+) prospects regardless of recruiting class, with Williams coming in at No. 16 and Fasusi landing at No. 20.

At one point, the Sooners were considered the leaders for Williams. His recruitment has taken a number of twists and turns. After Oklahoma, Texas A&M became the perceived leader. Texas and Oregon have also had their time as the leaders for Williams. This feels like a recruitment that nobody truly knows where it’s headed except for Williams. He set a top five that left out the Sooners, but don’t sleep on [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff to find their way back into the race for one of 2025’s very best players.

Williams, a safety who is listed as an outside linebacker, can be a versatile player with his combination of size and speed. He’s already 6-3, 205 pounds with length and will continue to fill out and grow into the linebacker role. He makes an impact regardless of alignment and shows flashes reminiscent of 2019 ESPN 300 safety and former Notre Dame standout Kyle Hamilton. Williams has elite range to both match up in coverage and act as a sideline-to-sideline presence. He displays excellent ball skills, and his length and leaping ability allow him to win contested matchups. In addition to playmaking tools, Williams also shows good toughness. He can be a physical, wrap-up tackler and brings ball carriers down in space. The transition to linebacker should be a smooth one in college as he continues to add size. – Tucker, ESPN

The Sooners are in a good spot with Fasusi. They’ll have to contend with Texas and Texas A&M for his commitment. He’s been on campus several times and even called Bill Bedenbaugh the GOAT (greatest of all time) on social media.

Fasusi has all the tools to be an elite offensive tackle at both the collegiate and NFL levels.

Fasusi certainly looks the part. He stands 6-6, 295 pounds with an 83.3-inch wingspan and a 1.77 10-yard split, creating an unparalleled length and agility combination. As one might expect, he plays with good initial quickness and explosive power. He has worked to add to his wiry frame as he has gotten older and now plays with excellent strength in the run game. Fasusi gets great hand placement, pops his hips and drives defenders off the ball with his physicality. His improved functional strength could allow him to star at guard if he never develops elite pass protection skills at tackle, but he has the length and athleticism to handle either tackle position with further technical development. Fasusi presents a captivating ball of clay for an elite program to continue molding. – Tucker, ESPN

In addition to Williams and Fasusi, the Sooners are also in pursuit of 2026 athlete [autotag]Brandon Arrington[/autotag]. He comes in at No. 23 in the nation.

Arrington may be a better track athlete than football player at this stage, but he has elite sprinter speed. The 6-3, 180-pounder broke California’s sophomore state record with a 20.55 200-meter dash this spring and won the state’s Gatorade Track and Field Player of the Year award. On the football field, Arrington has clocked a max speed north of 21 mph. The wide receiver can flip the field on offense in the blink of an eye and has great length and closing speed to project at corner. Now he needs to continue to refine his game. The top-ranked athlete in his class has elite upside and more than 20 FBS offers. – Tucker ESPN

Arrington is an elite athlete that has a chance to be a difference maker on both sides of the ball like Colorado’s Travis Hunter and the speed to create big plays on special teams as a return man.

The Sooners also have offers out to offensive tackle [autotag]Immanuel Iheanacho[/autotag] (No. 17), offensive tackle [autotag]Jackson Cantwell[/autotag] (No. 13), tight end [autotag]Kendre Harrison[/autotag] (No. 10), and defensive lineman [autotag]Elijah Griffin[/autotag] (No. 8). There is varied interest in Oklahoma, but the Sooners will have their opportunity to move the needle on the recruiting trail.

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Where does Oklahoma stand with blue-chip prospects for the 2025 recruiting class?

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners stand with four blue chip prospects ahead with fall camp set to kick off?

Oklahoma’s [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] has come together nicely. The Sooners are inside the top 10 of the 247Sports team recruiting rankings with a little over five months until the December early signing period.

It’s a class bolstered by top-100 players C.J. Nickson and Ryan Fodje. But the Sooners are still in pursuit of four of the best players in the cycle, including three players that rank inside the top 30 of 247Sports Top247. Andrew Babalola, Jonah Williams and Michael Fasusi are the five-star targets the Sooners are hoping they can earn a commitment from in 2025. They’re also pursuing four-star linebacker Christian Jones.

So, where do things stand with these top prospects?

Andrew Babalola, OT

The five-star prospect out of Kansas appears down to three teams: Michigan, Stanford and Oklahoma. While the Sooners are in pursuit, the buzz appears more focused on Michigan and Stanford for [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag].

Commitment Date: Aug. 12

Michael Fasusi, OT

Another five-star offensive tackle the Oklahoma Sooners are heavily recruiting is [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag]. He has spoken highly of offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], but the Sooners will have to overcome heavy pushes from Texas and Texas A&M.

Commitment Date: Aug. 21

Christian Jones, LB

Only recently have the Oklahoma Sooners asserted themselves in the recruitment of four-star linebacker [autotag]Christian Jones[/autotag], a Nebraska native. But they’ve picked up serious momentum after his official visit at the end of June. Though predictions to start the month favored the Sooners, the middle of July turned the process in Nebraska‘s favor. Steve Wiltfong of On3 predicted the Cornhuskers to land Jones.

Commitment Date: Not set

Jonah Williams, S

In one of the more intriguing recruiting battles in the 2025 recruiting class, the pursuit of [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag] has ebbed and flowed. At one point, Oklahoma looked like the heavy favorite, only for Texas A&M and then Oregon to steal that momentum. But don’t look for the Sooners to lay back. They’ll continue to work to turn the tide back in the Sooners’ favor. This is a recruitment that will likely go down to the early signing period and it’s anyone’s guess where the five-star safety lands.

Commitment Date: Aug. 24

UPDATE

Jonah Williams announced his commitment date Wednesday afternoon and a top five that doesn’t include the Oklahoma Sooners. We’ll see where this goes, but OU has had a long-standing relationship with the talented five-star safety.

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Sooners 5-Star offensive line target sets commitment date

Oklahoma Sooners five-star offensive line target sets commitment date.

In arguably the biggest recruiting storyline of the cycle, one of the Oklahoma Sooners’ top targets for the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] has set his commitment date.

Five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] will make his decision on Aug. 21, prior to the start of the Texas high school football season.

Fasusi is one of the top prospects in the class, coming in at No. 12 overall in the 247Sports composite rankings. He is the No. 3 offensive tackle prospect in the class.

In what will likely come down to Red River Rivals Oklahoma and Texas, Fasusi is also being heavily pursued by programs that have already made splashes in the 2025 cycle. Oregon, Missouri and Texas A&M are in the mix, and as his recruitment winds down, those programs could turn the tide away from OU and Texas.

Fasusi was on campus with the Sooners for his official visit on June 14. He visited the Longhorns the following weekend.

After spending time in Norman, Fasusi took to social media to heap praise on Oklahoma offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]. He told On3’s Chad Simmons that the potential for development is the biggest draw to Oklahoma.

There will be a number of factors at play for the Sooners in their pursuit of Fasusi, but they have five weeks to close the deal.

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Sooners 4-star OT target Lamont Rogers chooses Missouri over Oklahoma, Texas

Oklahoma just misses on four-star OT Lamont Rogers, who committed to the Missouri Tigers.

The [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] is deep at several positions, particularly at offensive tackle. For Oklahoma, quite a few of the better offensive tackles in this class are close geographically, and the Sooners have made them a priority.

As the summer dwindles, recruits have narrowed or closed their recruitments. On Saturday, one of Oklahoma’s top targets announced his college commitment.

Four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Lamont Rogers[/autotag] picked the Missouri Tigers over Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M offers.

Oklahoma offered Rogers in January 2023. Bill Bedenbaugh, Brent Venables and the Oklahoma staff spent considerable time building a relationship with Rogers. The Sooners hosted him and his family on multiple unofficial visits as well.

When it came down to it, Rogers chose the Tigers instead.

Standing at 6 feet, 6 1/2 inches and 311 pounds, Rogers is the No. 9 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 17 overall prospect in Texas on 247Sports.

The Sooners are still in a good position to land another highly rated offensive tackle prospect. They remain a finalist for five-star offensive tackles [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] and Andrew Babalola. There is no timetable for Fasusi’s decision, but prospects are looking good for the Sooners right now. As for Babaloloa, the Sooners will have to contend with Stanford and Michigan for the five-star offensive tackle prospect out of Kansas.

The Sooners have offensive line commitments from Darius Afalava, Ryan Fodje, and Owen Hollenbeck. Oklahoma is eighth in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

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Sooners defensive line target Smith Orogbo commits to Texas

Sooners 2025 four-star defensive end target commits to the Texas Longhorns.

The Oklahoma Sooners are still working to add defensive line depth for the 2025 recruiting class. Though they’ve earned commitments from interior defensive linemen [autotag]Trent Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Ka’Mori Moore[/autotag] and defensive ends [autotag]Alexander Shieldnight[/autotag] and [autotag]C.J. Nickson[/autotag], the defensive staff had been in pursuit of other players on the edge.

After missing on [autotag]Max Granville[/autotag], who chose Penn State, the Sooners turned their attention to [autotag]Smith Orogbo[/autotag]. At the time, it appeared Oklahoma might pull off a recruiting win over Texas Tech. However, it’s the Sooners’ Red River rivals who are adding the dynamic edge rusher.

On Monday, Orogbo committed to the Texas Longhorns. He’s a talented pass rusher with significant upside due to his fantastic athleticism.

The Sooners still have a dynamic defensive end duo in Shieldnight and Nickson to build the future of their defensive end group around, and they are well within the top 10 recruiting classes in the country as we enter July.

The Sooners turn their attention to securing commitments from [autotag]Cortez Mills[/autotag] and [autotag]Omarion Robinson[/autotag] along with priority offensive line targets [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag], [autotag]Lamont Rogers[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], and [autotag]Ty Haywood[/autotag].

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5-star offensive tackle includes Oklahoma Sooners in Top 3

The Oklahoma Sooners were included in five-star offensive tackle Ty Haywood’s top 3.

Offensive line recruiting is the biggest storyline across the country in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag]. The Sooners are in the mix for a number of blue-chip offensive linemen, hoping to add to their group up front that includes four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Ryan Fodje[/autotag] and three-star prospect [autotag]Owen Hollenbeck[/autotag].

Though it looks like he’s been trending away from the Sooners, five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Ty Haywood[/autotag] included Oklahoma in his top three schools as his recruitment roars on. The Sooners were included alongside Alabama and Florida State.

There was a time the Sooners were considered the favorite before Texas A&M made a strong push, and more recently, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

SoonerScoop and On3’s Josh McCuistion put in an On3 prediction favoring the Crimson Tide. Haywood is considered the No. 2 offensive tackle in the On3 industry rankings and the No. 9 overall prospect.

At the moment, it may look like Haywood is trending away, but don’t count the Sooners out just yet. They’ve recruited really well over the course of Brent Venables’ tenure at Oklahoma.

Even if they can’t land a commitment from Haywood, the Sooners are still very much in the mix for five-star prospects [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], four-star tackle [autotag]Lamont Rogers[/autotag], and Rivals four-star prospect [autotag]Darius Afalava[/autotag].

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5-star OT Michael Fasusi headlines official visitors list for Norman this weekend

Oklahoma is set to host a number of uncommitted prospects headlined by five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi in Norman this weekend.

Official visit season is in full swing, and Norman will see a number of visitors throughout June. Last week, the Sooners hosted several prospects and this weekend is no different.

Right now, the Sooners are ranked No. 7 overall in recruiting for the class of 2025 and trail the USC Trojans. Things are far from over, and there is a real chance that Oklahoma could find itself in the top five when all is said and done for the 2025 cycle.

Last week, names like [autotag]Kade Pietrzak[/autotag], [autotag]Daris Afalava[/autotag], and [autotag]Da’Saahn Brahme[/autotag] visited Norman, hoping to learn how they would fit into life as Oklahoma Sooner student-athletes.

Things went well for Pietrzak. Multiple predictions came in earlier this week favoring the Sooners. Afalava included the Sooners in his top four that he released on Wednesday. So, the visits have paid dividends.

There’s a lot more to be excited about this weekend. Below, we’ve rounded up all the names expected to be in Norman for official visits.

  • [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag], five-star OT
  • [autotag]Cortez Mills[/autotag], four-star WR
  • [autotag]Mark Iheanachor[/autotag], four-star LB
  • [autotag]Elijah Melendez[/autotag], three-star LB (committed to the Miami Hurricanes)
  • [autotag]Trent Wilson[/autotag], three-star DT commit
  • [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag], four-star WR
  • [autotag]Makhi Williams-Lee[/autotag], three-star DT
  • [autotag]Floyd Boucard[/autotag], three-star DT

We also wanted to share a few important notes about the visitors. Let’s start with Michael Fasusi, the highest-rated player set to touch down in Norman this weekend. Fasusi’s recruitment has always been between the big schools in Texas and Oklahoma. Things seem to be trending the Longhorns direction, so in many ways, this weekend feels like Oklahoma’s final push to sway things in their direction in a big way. Oklahoma has a few five-star offensive tackles they are in on, and landing one would be a significant boost to this class and a big personal win for offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag].

Iheanachor and Melendez are pivotal recruits because Oklahoma does not have a single linebacker committed for the class of 2025. Both are inside linebackers and will play that position in college. Oklahoma would love to land a commitment from either of them to give them a little depth inside heading into next year. Both are intense, physically fearless players who use instincts to dole out punishment.

Marcus Harris was a late add, but he hails from California, where he plays ball at the famous Mater Dei High School. The West Coast recruitment effect is real with him, but Emmett Jones got Harris to cancel his visit to Oregon and come to Norman instead. That may be a situation to monitor.

Boucard and Williams-Lee will accompany Trent Wilson, the lone Oklahoma commit of the weekend. Wilson will work to convince the other defensive tackles to join him in Norman.

Oklahoma has a weekend ahead of itself. They’ll be rolling out the red carpet. Only time will tell how effective these visits were.

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